Letter: A Worthy Holiday Cause

I was so grateful to read William Butler’s letter (“To the Aid of a Fellow Soldier”) in the Dec. 19 Forum, and I thought I’d echo his battle cry as well as provide your readers with a couple of easy-to-remember online addresses they can use to help Tom Batchelder and his family.

Regular readers of your paper will recall the moving story that you ran this fall about Batchelder, an Etna resident recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tom, Tracie, and their two little girls (ages 6 and 3) are coping with courage and heart. However, the family is just able to make ends meet with Tracie working full-time as a night nurse, so it is a challenge to put money aside that would help Tracie and the girls when Tom is no longer with them. These funds will help with the additional expenses that will arise at that point and allow Tracie to take some extra time off work when the girls will need her most.

When I approached Tracie with the idea of a fundraiser, she resisted, saying, “Times are tight for everyone. Everyone has their own troubles to take care of.” But I believe, particularly in this holiday season, that some of your readers will want to help. Tom and Tracie have spent their adult lives caring for others — as health care professionals and, in Tom’s case, as an Army veteran. Any reader who wants to support them now, in their time of greatest need, can visit www.youcaring.com/tomsteam and make a donation to benefit the Batchelder family. They can also email me directly, with any ideas about supporting this family, at jointeamtom@gmail.com.

To the Editor: I have been compelled to act on behalf of my friend, Tom Batchelder, who was the subject of your Oct. 27 article “A Question of Time” about his battle with terminal cancer. We met in basic training and have been fast friends since. Another buddy of ours, Andy Anderson, recently came to Etna to visit Tom. The …